The directory
In 1952, when the group was created, our elders travelled to many winter evenings throughout the Val d'Arly valley, collecting as many dances, music and songs as possible from people who still knew them. The result was a wealth of encounters, wonderful moments of sharing and a painstaking, patient effort. Thanks to all this, we can now present you with this varied repertoire.
The instruments
The traditional instrument of the Val d'Arly was the fiddle.
In fact, many fiddlers made their own instruments, as they were far too expensive to buy... As a result, our entire repertoire is in a La-Ré key.
Today, the instruments that make up our orchestra are the violin, diatonic accordion and transverse flute.
Our dances
Our repertoire comprises several types of dance:
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partner dances (polkas, scottishs, mazurkas...)
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round dances
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branles
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and especially quadrilles, which were the favorite dances of our ancestors.
Many dances have their origins in faraway countries or regions, and were brought "home" by peddlers or workers who left to earn a living elsewhere during the harsh winter conditions in our mountains. So it's hardly surprising to find polkas and mazurkas from Eastern Europe in our valley's mountain repertoire.
The favorite dance of the ancients was the quadrille. There are over twenty quadrilles, all with "commands" given by a musician. There are single and double quadrilles, and quadrilles inspired by court dances...
The songs
We are also fortunate to have a fine repertoire of songs within the group. Mountain dwellers were renowned for their singing, and our predecessors fortunately had the foresight to preserve both the dances and the songs.
The song repertoire is mainly made up of trade songs (shepherdess, miller, chimney sweep...), love songs, but also "humorous" songs or songs with a double meaning, which can be listened to by all audiences but with a different meaning according to age...